The Rose is Wilting was no longer just a joke—it felt like a countdown. Two days earlier, in the Bulls–Mavericks matchup, Rose tweaked his groin. The MRI after the game confirmed he'd miss three to four weeks.
For Lin Yi, this wasn't the real crisis. He remembered all too clearly that the real blow was waiting for Rose in the playoffs—an ACL tear that would change the course of his entire career. That injury didn't just knock him out of the postseason; it wiped out the entire 2012–13 campaign.
And when Rose finally came back, the worst part wasn't the rust—it was the pressure he put on himself. With no proper long-term training behind him and a burning need to prove he was still the Bulls' leader, he pushed his body too hard. Two meniscus tears followed. From then on, Rose's life became a loop of hospitals, rehab, and brief comebacks.
Rose's style had always been violent on the knees. People talked about Westbrook's explosiveness later on, but Westbrook was a different case—more straight-line power, better protected, fewer reckless direction changes. Rose moved like he refused to acknowledge physics. It was beautiful but unsustainable.
Unless he reinvented his game, the ending was inevitable. Lin Yi warned him to lighten his minutes, give his body a chance. They were close, but even friendship had limits.
Rose was quiet, polite… but stubborn to the core—the most stubborn bull in Chicago. Lin Yi could only sigh. Not everyone was as willing to listen as Curry.
At least things worked out on that end. Steph had avoided the catastrophic ankle injury from Lin Yi's memories. Curry did pick up a sprain in February, but it was barely a shadow of what Lin Yi remembered. And Curry himself knew Lin Yi was right—why mess with your ankle when you could solve problems by shooting?
Sure enough, on the 18th, in the Warriors' game against the Hornets, Curry dropped a career-high 10 threes and finished with 45 points—also a career-high.
He called Lin Yi immediately, buzzing with excitement. "Man, 10 threes! I still can't believe it. I actually hit 10 in an NBA game!"
Lin Yi laughed. "Get used to it. Give it a few years—you'll be at the top of the list for 10+ threes in a game."
New Orleans really was a magical place. Lin Yi remembered that Curry would go on to produce several ridiculous performances against the Hornets—Pelicans later—including the future single-game three-point record.
Curry was still riding the high. And honestly, he needed it. Plenty of haters spent the past month claiming Jeremy Lin was better, especially since the Warriors kept winning without Curry.
Lin Yi said, half-teasing, "Stephen… dial it down a bit. Don't forget the 4001 dorm tradition."
Curry replied instantly, "Right, right—our motto: humility."
Next to Lin Yi, Olsen rolled her eyes. Next to Curry, Ayesha did the same.
You two? Humble?
Please.
"Anyway, Lin," Curry continued, "you guys have a break coming up. Want to watch some NCAA games together?"
Lin Yi thought it wasn't a bad idea. March Madness was when half the league showed up courtside anyway.
No point seeing Davidson, though. Ever since the Shooting Stars left, they'd basically been getting pushed around.
Lin Yi was also working on that problem. He'd been trying to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo, signed by Zhong Muchen in Europe, to come to Davidson for a season. Giannis was a little over two meters tall now, all limbs, all upside. Compared to The Brow, who had patterned his game after Lin Yi, Giannis was practically a one-to-one remake—minus the jumper.
With that height, those arms, and those steps, Giannis could basically take off from the NCAA three-point line and finish at the rim. As he continued to grow, his ceiling only got higher.
Europe was competitive, sure, but Lin Yi wanted Giannis in the U.S. early. European development systems just didn't think big enough. And a talent like Giannis shouldn't be treated like an ordinary player.
Bob McKillop already had experience molding Lin Yi, so convincing Giannis to play at Davidson for a year felt realistic. Unlock his potential early, and he'd walk into the 2013 draft as a top-three pick.
For Lin Yi, that meant one thing: future bags of money. And lots of them.
"So which game do you want to watch?" Lin Yi asked.
"Kentucky," Curry said without hesitation. "They're a title favorite. And people keep comparing Anthony Davis to you. I want to see if the kid is actually that good."
"Sounds good to me." Lin Yi was curious too. The Brow talked about him the way Lin Yi used to talk about Kobe.
"My idol Lin Yi once said…"
Some things never changed.
...
On the 19th, the Shooting Stars reunited in Indianapolis. When Lin Yi and Curry appeared at the Kentucky vs. Butler Sweet Sixteen game, they almost stole all the thunder from the players on the court.
Commentator Reggie Miller quipped, "In 2009, Lin and Stephen teamed up to defeat the reigning North Carolina. And now, Anthony is following in Lin's footsteps. We can see that Anthony asked Lin to sign his jersey before the game. Anthony once said that Lin is his idol, and he hopes to reach Lin's current height in the future."
The 2012 NCAA was indeed the year of Davis. Currently, the outside world almost unanimously expects Kentucky to win the championship under the leadership of this freshman superstar.
Unlike Lin Yi's draft class, in 2012, whoever got the first overall pick would only have one choice.
That would be American Lin Yi—Anthony Davis.
Speaking of which, Lin Yi and he had a connection, because Kentucky's team name is also the Wildcats...
In this game, Lin Yi observed this future beast up close. As he expected, Anthony was more suited to his playing style than Cousins. Although his three-point shot wasn't very consistent yet, opponents didn't dare to leave him open easily, which always allowed him to get easy face-up penetration opportunities.
Davis's post-up ability was average, but it was enough to dominate these NCAA rookies. Lin Yi was most curious now: which team would draft The Brow in this timeline?
The Hornets are definitely out of the question because SBC and Lou Williams are leading the Hornets to the playoffs. After Lin Yi's crazy run, the Warriors are basically out of contention for him...
Hiss... Wait a minute?
Lin Yi felt like he was in trouble, because there was indeed one team that was very likely to draft Anthony this summer...
And if the Hornets don't get the first overall pick, Lin Yi felt that the probability of this team getting the first overall pick in 2012 was almost 90%.
"Lin, I don't think he's as good as you!" Curry said after watching the game.
Lin Yi was quite pleased with Curry's assessment. He patted Curry's shoulder and said, "Humble, Stephen, we must be humble."
Curry nodded, "Right, we must be humble!"
Speaking of which, Anthony Davis is also one of the players Lin Yi will need to give a welcome in the future. Lin Yi felt that once Davis enters the NBA next season, he must leave an impression on him early on.
Ultimately, Kentucky easily defeated Butler University in this game. Anthony Davis scored 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, and also made 2 three-pointers in the game.
After the game, Davis said he was flattered that Lin Yi came to watch his game. "Yes, you have to know, he's the NBA MVP. I'm so happy I got his autograph, and he wished me well. I hope we can go all the way and win the championship this year!"
At this time, the still-young Anthony Davis had no idea that his idol was planning to give him a welcome gift in his rookie season...
After Lin Yi and Curry watched the game, they did not stay in Indianapolis. After having dinner together, they flew back to New York and Oakland, respectively.
As they parted, Curry clenched his fist and said to Lin Yi, "Lin, just wait, I will definitely lead the Warriors to defeat the Knicks."
Lin Yi shrugged. "Stephen, even if you don't say it, I know the Knicks' main enemy in the future will be the Warriors."
You know, to specifically counter the Warriors, Lin Yi had specially reminded Javier Stanford to keep an eye on a second-round pick from 2012.
On the 20th, Lin Yi returned to New York, and on the 21st, the new Raptors king, DeRozan, led his team to invade.
...
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